The Lurgy… Podcasts and Books.

Greetings…

It’s been a totally non-hobby week so far… A slight clammy feeling on Saturday has turned into the current office lurgy…aches, sweats, snot and coughs… Lovely 🤒.

I always know when I am properly poorly… The painting mojo takes a running jump….

I have been listening to a few Podcasts…

Here are three of the Historical ones that have been binged 

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-british-history-podcast/id440985304

The British History Podcast… By Jamie Jeffers.

Well researched history presented in a light and entertaining style…with some very amusing musical themes thrown in.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-napoleonic-wars-podcast-aka-the-napoleonicist/id1503208643

The Napoleonic Wars Podcast… By Zack White.

More well researched history also presented in a light, entertaining and occasionally rambling style…I don’t consider the rambling to be a negative…It mostly comes from Zack White’s use of guests… many of whom are long term acquaintances or friends. 

There is also a YouTube channel for those who like some visuals.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-age-of-napoleon-podcast/id1223795973

The Age of Napoleon… By Everett Rummage.

Yet more well researched and presented history… Everett Rummage has a more traditional linear presentation style with plenty period quotes which I find very listenable.

Okay I’m not an expert or historian so when I say well researched I am only basing this on my own limited knowledge.

When my eyes and nose take a rest from streaming I have been getting a little bit of reading in…

Throwing Thunderbolts by…Garry David Wills

https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-books/throwing-thunderbolts-a-wargamers-guide-to-the-war-of-the-first-coalition-1792-1797.php

So far I have read up to the middle of the chapter on the Chronology of the War of the First Coalition which I am finding very interesting.

Waterloo… The Other Battles… By S Henry Dwan… From the Orders of Battle Series.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Waterloo-Other-Battles-Orders-Battle/dp/B08DSX737C/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1698253099&sr=1-1

A bit of an unconventional layout but the lists themselves look quite detailed…. The way the units are depicted certainly has a wargames friendly feel to them.

Okay… My cough is telling me to go and make a cup of tea…

Hopefully toys next time…

All the best.  Aly

Late Romans… Done… ish.

Greetings…

Here are the final figures in my great Late Roman rebasing project…

These fellows could be used for Goths, Germans or even Romano-British…

These two chaps came from a larger command stand that was part of my Late Roman acquisition…

The are actually Imperial Roman figures but I decided to give them new heads and a bit of a spruce then base them together…

I think they have worked rather well…Definitely Romans but possibly Romano-British.

This chap also came from the same command stand as the last figures…

I have no idea what range he is from or character he represents but he has the look of a mysterious stranger… And I liked him.

He had a good old general sprucing…

So…

Once I get the chance to clear some space I shall put on a parade of all the toys…And then hopefully a game.

All the best.  Aly

Late Romans… Almost done.

Greetings…

When I say almost done I of course only mean the rebasing… Freshly painted new units will definitely be added as time goes on.

First up…

Another unit of Goths/Germans…

Apart from some retouching on the clothing the only real work was done on the shields… They were not fully repainted but the designs they had were made bolder and cleaner.

Next up…

More Huns…

Not much done here… A bit of general sprucing, repainted shields, new plastic spears and standard pole.

Only a couple of command stands to come… 

All the best.  Aly

15th Century reenactment… Esther Kok.

Greetings…

My good friend Jan put me on to this YouTube channel…

If you are even slightly interested this period take a look… The footage is splendid.

But please bare in mind… They are not actually trying to kill each other 😁

https://youtube.com/@estherkok?si=kKOUuE4tXqXTcqb7

All the best.  Aly

The Other Partizan 2023…

Greetings…

This weekend I headed off to the Other Partizan at Newark Showground…

My friend Jervis picked myself,Allessio and Chris who was over from the US…up at an ungodly time of day and we all headed off to assist with the Perry’s Franco-Prussian game…

I say assist… Jervis was running it… Allessio and Chris fought each other… And I avoided lifting things 🤣…

This years show was excellent…

There were loads of lovely games and toys to see… 

It was a lot busier than I expected and unnaturally warm for this time of year…Even when they opened all the doors.

For me this did not diminish any of the fun I had.

I got the chance to meet up with and chat to lots of old and new friends which is one of my favourite things about going to shows like this… Even being there all day I still managed to miss bumping into some people…

The standard of the games were very high… I took lots of pictures…Sadly not all of them came out in focus… Fortunately other people in the blogosphere have covered some of the things I missed…

So….

Some pictures….

The Perry’s Franco-Prussian game… Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of Allessio’s French Light Cavalry slaughtering Chris’s Prussian Heavies…

I may have been too busy laughing 😁… I wonder if I was sitting too close to the action and confused the Dice Gods…

The Battle of Oltenitza 1853 by the Gothenburg Gamers…

This is a Russo-Turkish action in what would eventually be called the Crimean War… The toys are from the collection of my old friend Dave O’Brien …

I’ve watched Dave put this collection together and it is really refreshing to see a ‘Crimean War’ game without the British or French.

Old Pikey’s Operation Resolute…

A fictitious battle for the West German town of Warendorf set in 1987… Quite tank-tastic.

As to be expected…Beautiful stuff from the Boondock Sayntes…

The Iron Brigade’s Winter is Here game…

This sent a very pleasant chill through a rather warm hall…

The very delightful Siege of Hennebont from The Bodkins…

This won the Best of Show… The fear comes over me imagining painting all that heraldry…

A lovely ‘Set the East Ablaze’ game from the League of Extraordinary Kreigspielers.

A game from the Very British Civil War Forum…Nice Blues and Royals.

The Battle of Hargicourt 1918 from The Grimsby Wargames Society.

English Civil War action from the Shrewsbury Wargames Society…

The Defence of Calais from 1st Corps…

A Never Mind the Boat Hooks participation game…

My buddy Peter Dennis does Paper Tanks… Awesome.

Giant Risk from… Today’s Foxes ?

Yup!…That is exactly what it was 😁… I loved it… Wargamers just having fun.

Daleks and Cybermen from the Chesterfield Open Gaming Society…

Yes yes yes… Terrain made from household bits and bobs… there is a bit of a vacuum/hoover in there.

I loved this…Well thought out and beautifully presented.

Every Partizan I get to judge and present the Adrian Shepherd Award for the Best Tabletop Vignette…

And the winner is……

A knight getting his spurs… By Matt Bickley.

Beautiful…

Did I buy anything… 🙄

Books… What a surprise 😂🤣😂…

More wildlife… I have entertaining plans for these…

Fleshing out the paint stocks…

War of Austrian Succession toys from Flags of Wars…

I may start painting some of this soon… I believe I might have said this was a retirement project… But!

Last but by no means least…

I thought this was great…

I was off work today because I had a number of  different builders coming round to hit my house about… So… I sat in the garden and read it from cover to cover…

A fantastic look back to how all of this delightful nonsense started… Thank you Charles.

All the best.  Aly